Sofia Sasse
Despite arguably having a better quality of life, more opportunities, and more modernity in our lives, Millenials and Generation Z are also the most depressed and stressed out generations we have seen in decades. Born into technology, our generation also had the misfortune of being raised by the internet, especially those of us with busy parents who gave us tablets and phones to keep busy while they worked. Being 15 years old myself, many of my experiences closely align with my general generation, and that is no coincidence.
There are many stereotypes associated with the most recent generation of people born into this world: we’re entitled, hypersensitive, and lazy. We’re obsessed with our phones, spoiled, and born into a world in which information is not a privilege, but a right. We are digital natives; some of us have had phones since kindergarten, and most of us throw a tantrum when the internet goes down.
Despite this, it is also important to note that we are also the most well-educated generation, more open-minded and accepting of people of other races, sexualities, religions, and genders; diversity is our norm, according to the Pew Research Center.
We are also the most accustomed to any kind of technology and social media, often being the ones curating trends that go viral around the world. It might seem like we are the most connected generation; however, we are actually the loneliest, because the time we have spent on our phones is time we have also spent isolated from real, human connection. Even the youngest of us participate in politics, despite not being able to vote, which also makes us more uneasy about the world around us. We are aware of everything happening around the world, which makes us perceive it as a worse place, despite our situation being a lot better than those born decades earlier, during World War II, during an economic collapse.
However, Generation Z was born into a much worse economy than the generation previous, which has also made us more financially aware, focusing a lot on stability and security, especially in the United States and after the Cold War. It is also a tendency of each generation to be more left-leaning than the last, and this one is no different. We are often more progressive, more supportive of LGBTQ+ rights, and more likely to attribute climate change to human activity, even more politically proactive.
The eldest people of this generation are just now turning 23, many of us entering young adulthood, and faced with the Covid-19 pandemic, have struggled with finding jobs and becoming unemployed. This, along with a few others, are reasons why mental struggles such as anxiety and depression have become an, unfortunately, defining characteristic of Generation Z.
According to a 2019 study published in the Journal of Abnormal Psychology, between 2009 and 2017 depression rates increased by more than: 47% among children 12–13 years old; 60% among teens 14–17 years old; and 46% among young adults 18–21 years old. We have also increased suicide rates, especially during the pandemic.
Just 45% of Gen Zers report that their mental health is very good or excellent, according to the American Psychological Association. All other generation groups fared better on this statistic, including Millennials (56%), Gen Xers (51%), and Boomers (70%). This means less than half report being in a good mental state.
Much of this can be attributed to school shootings, student debt, joblessness, and politics, but also technology. According to The Annie E. Casey Foundation, “Growing up in a hyper-connected world can evoke intense feelings of isolation and loneliness in some youth. It can also fuel a steady drumbeat of negative news stories, a fear of missing out, and shame in falling short of a social media-worthy standard.” Additionally, “Mental health concerns have climbed during the pandemic. Across the world, rates of depression and anxiety rose by more than 25% in 2020, according to research published in the Lancet. […] In the United States, the rate of depression climbed in 2021 to nearly 33% — with 1 in every 3 Americans age 18 or older affected, per a study out of Boston University.”
The pandemic has not been easy for anyone, but for a generation already so disconnected from the world, it is easy to see why we have been affected tons as well. Even looking beyond just the pandemic, we have already seen why we seem to be the loneliest people of them all, despite living in a world of connection and technology.
References:
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/teen-anxiety-and-depression#treatment
https://www.aecf.org/blog/generation-z-and-mental-health
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/why-is-gen-z-depressed
EAC PRESS 